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Features: Special Edition, DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Surround Sound, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Natassja Kinski stars in Academy Award winner Roman Polanski's (2003 Best Director, The Pianist) critically acclaimed screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 literary masterpiece, Tess of the d'Urbervilles. A visually stunning recreation of Victorian England's lush pastoral landscapes, TESS' Academy Award winning cinematography (1981 Geoffrey Unsworth, Ghislain Cloquet, Best Cinematography) is presented in its original Panavision aspect ratio for the first time in 25 years. Finding employment with the wealthy d'Urberville family, Tess (Kinski), a teenage farm girl of exceptional beauty, comes under the lustful eye of Alec (Leigh Lawson), their ne'er-do-well son. Although she rejects his amorous advances, Alec forcibly seduces Tess, leaving her pregnant and alone. Giving birth to a sickly child who soon dies, the disgraced Tess eventually falls in love with Angel (Peter Firth), a parson's son who knows nothing of her sordid past. But when she confesses her "sin" on their wedding night, a repulsed Angel abandons her, leaving Tess no choice but to return to Alec, a fateful decision that will have tragic consequences for all concerned.
Editor's Note
Based on Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles." A beautiful young woman from a poor background meets with abuse from her upper class employer, hypocrisy from a clergyman who courts her and a triangle of betrayal between them. Academy Award Nominations: 6, including Best Picture, Best Director. Academy Awards: 3.
Plot Summary
Based on the 1891 novel by Thomas Hardy.| Tess Darbeyville, a beautiful young peasant, seeks her fortune with the wealthy D'Urbervilles, whom her family believes to be distant relatives. Tess's tragic fate is sealed the moment the manipulative master of the house seduces and impregnates her. She returns home, bears the child -- who dies shortly thereafter -- and her ashamed family banishes her from their home. Tess finds work and shelter on a dairy farm, where she falls in love with Angel Clare, a pastor's son. The two are engaged to be married. However, the evening before the wedding, Tess knows that she must reveal her sordid past to her beloved Angel. When he hears the truth, will Angel still desire to be her husband? Or will Tess find herself alone once again?
| Features | Tess: From Novel to Screen | | Tess: The Experience | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Stereo | | Filming Tess | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 11/28/2006 |
| Running Time: 172 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1980 | | Catalog ID: 01707 | | UPC: 00043396017078 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1981) |  | Pierre Guffroy, Jack Stephens, Winner, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | | Geoffrey Unsworth, Ghislain Cloquet, Winner, Best Cinematography | |
British Academy Awards (1982) | | Geoffrey Unsworth, Ghislain Cloquet, Winner, Best Cinematography | |
Oscar (1981) | | | Roman Polanski, Nominee, Best Director | | | Claude Berri, Timothy Burrill, Nominee, Best Picture |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Lovely, lyrical, unexpectedly delicate....[Kinski is] altogether ravishing..." 12/12/1980 p.C8USA Today
"[A] lush, three-hour adaptation..." 10/08/2004 p.4E |
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